House plant, Description, Historical context and kinds of indoor plants

  House plant, Description, Historical context and kinds of indoor plants

Description

Any plant that has been bred to grow inside is a houseplant. Exotic plants from warm, frost-free regions of the world are the most typical, and they may be cultivated indoors in cooler climes in portable pots or tiny gardens. Therefore, the majority of indoor plants are from species that are indigenous to or close to tropical regions.

The species that adapt well to the normally warm, dry circumstances present in interior living areas provide for the ideal indoor subjects.

Although many types of plants may thrive indoors, some are regarded as the greatest houseplants due to their aesthetic appeal and very low maintenance requirements. These include the perennial favorites aroids, bromeliads, succulents (including cacti), ferns, begonias, and palms. African violets, camellias, gardenias, geraniums (Pelargonium species), and orchids are some of the most difficult varieties to grow.

Historical context

The practice of indoor gardening may be traced back to the early Greeks and Romans, who may have carried plants into their houses in the form of potted plants, according to paintings and sculptures. Potted plants were also used by earlier civilizations in Egypt, India, and China, but mainly outside, frequently in courtyards that were extensions of the home. For millennia, the Japanese have continued to dwarf trees and other plants as chamber decorations.

But until Sir Hugh Platt, an English agricultural authority wrote about the possibilities of growing plants indoors in The Garden of Eden (1652), the popular art of growing houseplants received little commentary. Soon after, exotic plants were housed in glasshouses (greenhouses) and conservatories, which had previously been employed in Roman times to compel plants to blossom.

Books on home plant cultivation started to appear in England and France in the middle of the 19th century, and enclosed glass plant terrariums, also known as Wardian cases or terraria, gained popularity.

kinds of indoor plants

Numerous tropical and subtropical plants are suited to indoor cultivation. Although many beautiful exotic species have been introduced that can withstand the unfavorable circumstances of dry heat and low light intensity that are common in many homes, some fancy exotic species perform well only in a humid conservatory or a glass-enclosed terrarium. The more popular houseplants are divided into two categories: flowering plants, which are species cultivated for their blossoms, and foliage plants, some of which also bear fascinating flowers.

Foliage plants

The philodendron is the most well-known member of the aroid family, which has produced a variety of long-lived houseplants. These lovely tropical American plants are climbers that often have heart-shaped, gorgeous leathery leaves that are frequently divided into lobes. The Swiss cheese plant, Monstera deliciosa, also known as Philodendron pertuzumab, has attractive, glossy, perforated leaves with slashed borders.

The dumb canes

There are several beautiful species of the genus Dieffenbachia's dumb canes. They are attractive tropical foliage plants with often variegated leaves; they can withstand neglect and yet flourish in dry environments. The Chinese evergreens, of the genus Aglaonema, are hardy and tolerant of indoor circumstances. They are fat tropical Asian plants with sluggish growth and leathery leaves that frequently have silvery or colorful patterns.

Members of Scindapsus

Tropical climbers from the Malaysian monsoon region, members of the Scindapsus genus are sometimes referred to as pothos or ivy-arums; their variegated leaves are typically modest in the juvenile stage. They thrive in warm, even stuffy spaces.

The peace lilies

The Spathiphyllum genus contains the easy-growing, clump-forming peace lilies, which are not genuine lilies. They feature green foliage and a succession of flower-like leaves (spathes), which are typically white. Anthurium species thrive in humid environments, and many of them, like the flamingo flower, have colorful spathes.

American tropical Caladium

The tropical American tuberous herbs of Caladium produce colorful, fragile-looking foliage that, when shielded from cold winds and chills, keeps remarkably well.

Begonias

Begonias have long been a favorite among houseplants because of their frequently highly attractive leaves, but almost without exception, they need more humidity and fresh air than the average modern household can give. Examples of varieties that are more resilient to dry rooms are Begonia Metallica, with its olive-green, silver-haired foliage, Begonia masoniana, with lovely green, puckered leaves splotched brown, and Begonia serratipetala, with little leaves, speckled pink.